None of the projected runners in Saturday’s $100,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields have a Triple Crown pedigree quite like the unbeaten colt Harcyn.
Owned by Jerry Moss, Harcyn is from the family of half-brothers Giacomo, the winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby, and Tiago, who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in 2007 and was seventh behind Street Sense in the Kentucky Derby.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – The Suncoast Stakes was supposed to be one of those nice-and-easy comeback spots for Wonder Wheel.
And then the entries came in.
Julia Shining, a Stonestreet Stables homebred whose promising 2-year-old season ended with a gritty victory in the Grade 2 Demoiselle, will keep Wonder Wheel from being a 1-5 shot when the two meet for the first time Saturday in the $100,000 Suncoast at Tampa Bay Downs.
Though he was a fast, elite 2-year-old last season, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Cave Rock is taking his own sweet time at age 3. Cave Rock is the only horse on the Derby Watch list without a race or workout in 2023. Cave Rock is galloping daily at Santa Anita, and trainer Bob Baffert said the colt is nearing his first comeback work.
“I’m not pressing him, I’m not forcing him to do anything,” Baffert said Sunday. “He’s going to start breezing in a couple weeks. There’s nothing set in stone. He’s going to let me know. I did lose two weeks during the rain. That set me back.”
Confirming what seemed all but certain when the colt didn’t post a timed workout last weekend, trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday that Instant Coffee won’t run in the Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds and will await the $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 25.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Thomas Shelby is one of three horses New York-based trainer David Jacobson plans to fly to Oaklawn Park for overnight races on Saturday’s card.
Jacobson said the horses are scheduled to take a FedEx flight to Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday morning, then van about 2 1/2 hours to Oaklawn.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Coming off major graded stakes victories on successive weekends in South Florida, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will try to expand his reach when he runs Jungfrau in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.
Jungfrau is likely to be the only new entrant to the Withers, a race for 3-year-olds that was originally scheduled for Feb. 4 but was postponed when that day’s card was canceled due to extreme cold.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Among the bigger surprises during training hours here Monday was seeing Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up and Grade 1 winner Leave No Trace come out on the Tapeta course to breeze a very impressive five furlongs in 59.37 seconds under regular exercise rider Lisa Bartkowski. She completed her final quarter in 23.40 while just cruising throughout before easing up after six furlongs in 1:12.94.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Frankie Dettori moved to Santa Anita this winter with the hope of finding a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby in the final year of his illustrious career. On Saturday at Santa Anita, Dettori won the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes on Newgate, who is a candidate to reach the historic race at Churchill Downs on May 6.
A handful of Atlantic Coast shippers led by Dubyuhnell and Litigate are expected this Saturday for the Sam F. Davis Stakes, the first of two Kentucky Derby points qualifiers to be run this winter at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.
Dubyuhnell, winner of the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct in his last start Dec. 3, is the likely favorite in the Grade 3, $200,000 Sam Davis, a 40-point race (20-8-6-4-2) toward the Kentucky Derby on May 6. Trained by Danny Gargan, the Good Magic colt will be ridden by Jose Ortiz in the 1 1/16-mile race.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Country Grammer and Taiba are on schedule for the $20 million Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 25 after working seven furlongs in 1:25.60 at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Country Grammer, second in the Saudi Cup last year, and Taiba, a three-time Grade 1 winner in 2022, were stakes winners at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. Country Grammer won the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles under jockey Frankie Dettori, while Taiba won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs for 3-year-olds under jockey Mike Smith.
